Apparatus for loading objects into selling display units

ABSTRACT

This invention provides apparatus for loading identical objects such as boxes into selling display units of the kind having recesses for receiving individual objects. The objects and the display units to be filled are moved parallel to each other, preferably on belt conveyors, and the objects are separated and move along guides into individual groups of recesses in each display unit, each display unit being moved intermittently to enable all the recesses therein to be filled at a filling station, before the filled unit is displaced on to a further conveyor.

' Unite States Patent 1 1 1 1 3,815,324 Pavese June 11, 1974.

[5 APPARATUS FOR LOADING OBJECTS 2907,159 10/1959 Allen L 53/154 INTO SELLING DISPLAY UNXTS 3,735,556 5/l973 Dille 53/246 X Franco Pavese, Stadt Allendorf, Germany Assignee: P. Ferrero & -C.S.p.A., Alba (Cuneo), Italy Filed: Oct. 27, 1972 Appl. No.: 301,398

Inventor:

Foreign ApplicationPriority Data 06!.29, 1971 Germany 2154064 Us. c1 53/237, 53/245, 53/246,

Primary Examiner--Robert L. Spruill Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion. Zinn & Macpeak ABSTRACT moved parallel to each other, preferably on belt con- ;veyors, and the objects are separated and move along guides into individual groups of recesses in each dis play unit, each display unit being moved intermittently to enable all the recesses therein to be filled at a filling station, before the filled unit is displaced on to a further conveyor.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJun 1 1 mm 13153 SHEET 1 BF 4 FIG. 1

minimum I I874 EJ815324 sum 3 or 4 FIG- 3 1 APPARATUS FOR LOADING OBJECTS INTO SELLING DISPLAY UNITS BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for filling display units or casings with objects such as boxes, cases or the like, for example boxes of sweets, including a conveyor device to advance the objects pushedforward in rows or piles and a conveyor device for the display units to be filled.

The term display unit is used in this specification to mean any unit adapted to receive objects of the same shape, including boxes and other objects all of the same shape which are to be inserted, placed or otherwise positioned in the above'mentioned display units to form visual displays for selling goods.

A machine is already known for inserting boxes in SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to this invention there is provided apparatus for loading objects, such as boxes into a selling display unit, including first conveyor means for conveying the objects in rows or in piles, and second conveyor means for the selling display units to be filled, in which the first conveyor means comprises two belt conveyors, arranged parallel to each other, for example in the form of intermittently working belt conveyors, the apparatus including at least one device for separation of the objects and guidance of the objects to a filling station and a device for effecting intermittent movement of the selling display units at the filling station to effect pro.- gressive filling of the display units.

According to a preferred embodiment of this invention the device for moving the selling display units includes a lifting device which has a table the upper sur-- face of which can be moved vertically relative to the plane of the upper surface of the conveyor means for the selling display units. Also a pusher device may be the table.

Preferably the device for separation and guidance of the objects comprises a parallelogram linkage of rods carrying thrust fingers for engaging indicidual objects and pushing them into respective guide leading to the filling station, this linkage being operable hydraulically two further guide members arranged at another height for individual objects.

provided for advancing the selling display units onto A further conveyor device, preferably in the form of a belt conveyor, may be provided for the reception ofthe filled selling display units. An intermittently operable thrust device may be arranged for displacing the filled display units on to the further conveyor device.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the device for guidance of the'objects to the filling station in- .cludes at least one guide which is pivotable about a horizontal axis. Therefore each guide preferably has an operative position in which it comes into direct contact with the selling display unit to be filled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be further described, by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accom- DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, two horizontally elongate frames 1 .support respective horizontal belt conveyors 2 for conveying individual objects, in this example, boxes 3, in parallel rows to a filling station to be described later.

The individual boxes 3 are rectangular in the embodiment shown and are placed on the belt conveyors 2 in such manner that through the movement of the belt conveyor they assume orientations in which their longer edges are parallel to each other and are transverse to the direction of movement of the conveyors. The boxes 3 may for example be of the type intended to be filled with sweets with typical dimensions of 6% X 3 /2 X 1%: centimetres: it will, however, be understood that other, differently shaped, objects of uniform shape and size may be conveyed by the conveyors 2.

Each belt conveyor 2 is driven by a drive roll 4 which is driven by an electric motor, not shown, the motors being operated so as to effect continuous or stepwise forwards simultaneous movement of both the belt conveyors 2.

As already stated it is important that the conveyance or forward thrust of the individual boxes 3 take place in such a manner that pairs of boxes 3 on the two conveyors 2 reach a filling station in exact coincidence with each other. I

A support frame 5 carries a third belt conveyor 6 extending at right angles to the two belt conveyors 2. The conveyor is driven by an electric motor 7, shown dia grammatically in FIG. I, and conveys selling display units 8 in succession to the filling station at regular intervals.

At the height of the upper surface of the belt conveyor 6 a table 10 is arranged directly beneath the filling station. This table, shown purely diagrammatically in FIG. 1, is arranged to be raised or lowered by means of a lifting device 11. The table 10 serves to receive each successive selling display unit which is brought up to the filling station.

A fluid pressure actuator 13 is arranged to displace each successive selling display unit 8 from the belt conveyor 6 to the table 10.

Stops 14 on the table ensure that each display unit 8 is moved to its correct filling position on the table 10 by the actuator 13.

FIG. 2 shows a selling display unit 8 which has been brought straight to the filling station.

The frames 1 are provided at the delivery ends of the conveyors 2 with respective laterally and downwardly directed guides 20, 21 for leading boxes 3 to the filling station, each guide 20, 21 consisting of two upper slideways 22 and three lower slideways 23.

Mounted on each frame 1 at the delivery end of each conveyor is a parallelogramrod linkage which acts as a respective lateral thrust device and which is moved by, for example, a pneumatic or hydraulic actuator (not shown), being displaceable laterally in the direction of the arrow 31 and in the opposite direction (FIG. 2).

On the free end of each parallelogram rod linkage 30 respective thrust fingers 33 are provided: in the embodiment shown, each parallelogram linkage carries five such thrust fingers 33 which co-operate with boxes 3 on the respective conveyor 2 to displace said boxes into the five respective slideways 22, 23. Movement of the fingers 33 by the linkages 30 in direction of the arrows 31 causes the fingers 33 to engage the leading five boxes 3 or like objects on the respective conveyors 2 and displace them into the separate five slideways of the respective guides 20, 21.

The guides 20 and 21 can rock about a horizontal pivot axis 35' and are brought into their operative positions by movement in the opposite directions to the arrows 26 from vertical positions, so that the individual slideways 22, 23 which adapted to the specific configuration of the selling display unit 8 may be brought precisely into coincidence with the respective boxreceiving recesses in said display unit 8.

ln illustrated embodiment, therefore, five boxes are delivered simultaneously to each side of the display unit 8 at the filling station, such delivery being effected at regular time intervals.

Each selling display unit 8 as described further hereinafter, has on each side five groups of five recesses or pockets for receiving individual boxes 3 so that the entire display unit can be filled in five successive filling operations of the thrust fingers 33, so that the full unit will contain 50 boxes in all.

The filled display unit 8 is then moved by a horizontal pushing device 36 from the filling station on to a cen-.

tral belt conveyor 37 extending parallel to the belt conveyors 2 and between the latter. The belt conveyor 37 is driven by an electric motor 38 and is supported by a frame 39.

Each successive filled selling display unit 40 is then delivered by the belt conveyor 37 to a packing station at which the filled display unit is placed in a receptacle such as, for example, a square carton.

One of the selling display units 8 is shown in more detail in FIG. 4 and consists of a zig-zag casing 51 having a baseplate 52 and sector-shaped upper sidewalls 53,

The zig-zag casing 51 of the unit 8 has in all five zigzags each at an angle about to the horizontal.

Within each zig-zag there are in this example two pockets or recesses 55, 56 disposed at the same height and three pockets or recesses 57, 58, 59 disposed at a lower level. The five pockets 55-59 are inclined downwardly parallel to each other and form a single filling group adapted to be loaded at the same time by means of the five slideways 22, 23 of each guide, as described previously.

For fault-free loading of the five pockets 55-59 of each filling group with boxes 60 (one of which is shown in broken outline in FIG. 4), it is necessary that on the one hand the selling display unit 8 be held steady at the filling station and on the other hand that the guides 20, 21 may be brought in each case accurately into coincidence with the respective pockets 5559. For this purpose respective abutment surfaces 61, 62 may be provided externally of the lower wall of each of the lower and upper pockets 57-59 and 55, 56respectively of each group to act as stops for engagement by the guide slidways 23 and 22 respectively.

As the selling display units 8 herein described can be filled from both sides with 25 boxes or the like, the loading of each side of each display unit is effected in the same way.

After the first ten boxes 3 have been inserted into the topmost five pockets 55 to 59 on each side of the display unit 8, as described above, the lifting device 11 is operated to raise the table 10 to the extent necessary to bring the next group of ten pockets into register with the guides 20, 21 for filling or loading.

However, before such raising of the selling display unit 8 takes place, the guides 20 and 21 are first moved in the direction of the arrows 26 into their vertical positions and are subsequently again moved upwards into the positions shown into register with the next group of pockets when the raising of the display unit has been completed.

It will be evident that with the apparatus according to this invention individual boxes or other objects even when this would seem to be unnecessary may be pushed or filled into a corresponding selling display unit or into a corresponding pocket or recess provided therein; also it is not necessary that the guides for the boxes or other objects and the respective pockets or re cesses should be staggered relatively to each other, as in the illustrated embodiment. It will also be evident that two or more individual boxes or other objects of identical shape may be inserted or filled into the pockets or recesses of the display unit if desired.

In the apparatus described herein three electric motors are provided for driving the individual belt conveyors, and in addition the apparatus includes at least two actuators l3 and 36 for moving the selling display units, respective actuators (not shown) for movement of the parallelogram linkages 30, and lifting devices 11 for the table 10. All these motors and actuators may be controlled from a single control panel or switch-board. The apparatus lends itself to complete automation of the abovementioned working processes by suitable synchronizing and timing of the operation of the said motors and actuators.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for loading objects such as boxes into selling display units having a plurality of pockets at different vertical levels, comprising first conveyor means for conveying objects in rows, and second conveyor means for the selling display units to be filled, wherein the improvement comprises the first conveyor means including two belt conveyors arranged parallel to each other, one device associated with each belt conveyor for separating said objects and guiding said objects to t a filling station, and a device adjacent the filling station for effecting intermittent vertical movement of the selling display units at the filling station to allow progressive filling of the pockets at different vertical levels of the display unit.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said vertical movement device is provided with a table the upper surface of which is movable vertically relative to t the plane of the upper surface of said second conveyor means. I

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further including a pusherdevice for advancing the selling display units onto said table from the'second conveyor.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each device for separating and guiding the objects comprises respective guides leading to the filling station, and a parallelogram linkage of rods carrying a thrust finger for engaging individual objects and pushing them into said respective guides.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each selling display unit includes a vertical casing adapted to be filled with objects on two sides, and having pockets on both sides staggered with respect to each other for the reception of individual objects, the device for guiding the objects to the filling station including at least two guide members arranged at one height for individual objects and at least two further guide members arranged at another height for individual objects, the height and position of the guide members discharge end corresponding to the'position of the staggered pockets on the display device.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 further comprising a filled display unit discharge belt conveyor, for the reception of the filled selling display units.

- 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, including an intermittently operable thrust device adapted for displacing the filled display units onto said filled display unit discharge conveyor.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each device for guiding the objects to the filling station includes a guide which is pivotable about a horizontal axis.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which said pivotable guide has an operative-position in which it comes into direct contact with the selling display unit to be filled. 

1. Apparatus for loading objects such as boxes into selling display units having a plurality of pockets at different vertical levels, comprising first conveyor means for conveying objects in rows, and second conveyor means for the selling display units to be filled, wherein the improvement comprises the first conveyor means including two belt conveyors arranged parallel to each other, one device associated with each belt conveyor for separating said objects and guiding said objects to a filling station, and a device adjacent the filling station for effecting intermittent vertical movement of the selling display units at the filling station to allow progressive filling of the pockets at different vertical levels of the display unit.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said vertical movement device is provided with a table the upper surface of which is movable vertically relative to the plane of the upper surface of said second conveyor means.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further including a pusher device for advancing the selling display units onto said table from the second conveyor.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each device for separating and guiding the objects comprises respective guides leading to the filling station, and a parallelogram linkage of rods carrying a thrust finger for engaging individual objects and pushing them into said respective guides.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each selling display unit includes a vertical casing adapted to be filled with objects on two sides, and having pockets on both sides staggered with respect to each other for the reception of individual objects, the device for guiding the objects to the filling station including at least two guide members arranged at one height for individual objects and at least two further guide members arranged at another height for individual objects, the height and position of the guide members'' discharge end corresponding to the position of the staggered pockets on the display device.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 further comprising a filled display unit discharge belt conveyor, for the reception of the filled selling display units.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, iNcluding an intermittently operable thrust device adapted for displacing the filled display units onto said filled display unit discharge conveyor.
 8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each device for guiding the objects to the filling station includes a guide which is pivotable about a horizontal axis.
 9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which said pivotable guide has an operative position in which it comes into direct contact with the selling display unit to be filled. 